United States House Committee on the Budget

United States House Committee on the Budget
Committee	House Committee on the Budget
Chamber	house
Congress	118th
Formed	0 1974
Jurisdiction	Federal budget process, congressional budget
Chair	Jodey Arrington
Chair party	Republican
Chair since	January 3, 2023
Ranking member	Brendan Boyle
Ranking member party	Democratic
Ranking member since	January 3, 2023
Seats	36
Majority1	Republican
Majority1 seats	22
Minority1	Democratic
Minority1 seats	14
Policy areas	Federal budget, Congressional procedures
Website	https://budget.house.gov/

United States House Committee on the Budget. The committee is a standing committee of the United States House of Representatives responsible for drafting the annual budget resolution and overseeing the federal budget process. Established by the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, it was created to strengthen Congress's role in fiscal policy, providing a counterbalance to the executive branch's Office of Management and Budget. The committee works in conjunction with its Senate counterpart, the United States Senate Committee on the Budget, to set overall spending, revenue, and debt levels, which guide the work of other appropriations and authorizing committees.

History

The committee was established by the landmark Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, a legislative response to perceived executive overreach during the Nixon administration, particularly regarding the impoundment of funds. This act, championed by lawmakers like Sam Ervin and Al Ullman, fundamentally reformed the federal budget process by creating the Congressional Budget Office and the modern budget committees. The first chairman was Brock Adams of Washington. Throughout its history, the committee has been central to major fiscal debates, including the Gramm–Rudman–Hollings Balanced Budget Act in the 1980s, the Budget Enforcement Act of 1990, and the contentious negotiations surrounding the Budget Control Act of 2011.

Jurisdiction and responsibilities

The committee's primary jurisdiction encompasses all matters related to the congressional budget process, federal fiscal policy, and the Budget of the United States. Its core responsibility is reporting the annual concurrent resolution on the budget, which sets aggregate levels for discretionary spending, mandatory spending, revenues, and the public debt. It also has oversight of the Congressional Budget Office and reviews the budgetary effects of legislation reported by other committees under reconciliation instructions. The committee monitors compliance with statutory budget controls and rules like the Byrd Rule.

Membership

For the 118th United States Congress, the committee has 36 members, with a ratio reflecting the partisan composition of the full House. The Republican majority, led by Chairman Jodey Arrington of Texas, holds 22 seats. The Democratic minority, led by Ranking Member Brendan Boyle of Pennsylvania, holds 14 seats. Members are selected by their respective party caucuses and formally appointed by the Speaker of the House. Notable past members have included Paul Ryan, John Kasich, and Chris Van Hollen.

Subcommittees

The House Committee on the Budget does not have any standing subcommittees. All legislative and oversight work is conducted by the full committee. This structure is distinct from many other House committees, such as the Committee on Appropriations or the Committee on Ways and Means, which utilize extensive subcommittee systems to handle specific policy areas. The lack of subcommittees centralizes authority within the full committee and its leadership, focusing efforts on the comprehensive budget resolution and broad fiscal oversight.

Chairs

Chairs of the committee are selected by the majority party. Since its inception, leadership has alternated between the Democratic and Republican parties. Notable chairs include the first chairman, Democrat Brock Adams; Republican John R. Kasich, who played a key role in the 1997 balanced budget agreement; Democrat John Spratt; and Republican Paul Ryan, who later became Speaker of the House. The current chair is Republican Jodey Arrington, who assumed the position in January 2023.

Legislative process and budget resolutions

The committee's central legislative product is the annual budget resolution, a concurrent resolution that does not require the President's signature but establishes a blueprint for congressional fiscal activity. The process begins with a hearing on the President's budget, often featuring testimony from the Director of the Office of Management and Budget and the Chair of the Federal Reserve. The committee then marks up and reports its resolution, which is subject to debate and amendment on the House floor under rules established by the House Rules Committee. The resolution may include reconciliation instructions, directing other committees like the Ways and Means Committee to produce legislation altering spending or revenues.

Category:United States House of Representatives committees Category:United States congressional committees